Oh dear....

Looks an awful lot like the declaration of Independence, doesn't it? - "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America".

The Commonwealth Secretary General thinks the new constitution is a corker: "“This is a major milestone in the history of the Republic of Maldives. It represents the beginning of a new phase in Maldives' journey to democracy. Multi-party politics and the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms will be strengthened,” said Kamalesh Sharma".

And have the Solons of Malé created a document that betters that of the Philadelphia Convention? Let's see.....

Maldives -

1 "The Maldives is a sovereign, independent, democratic Republic based on the principles of Islam".

9(c) "Despite the provisions of article (a) a non-Muslim may not become a citizen of the Maldives"

10(a) "The religion of the State of the Maldives is Islam. Islam shall be one of the basis (sic) of all the laws of the Maldives"

10(b) "No law contrary to any tenet of Islam shall be enacted in the Maldives"

11 The national language of the Maldives is Dhivehi

27 Everyone has the right to freedom of thought (NB - NOT speech. C)and the freedom to communicate opinions and expression in a manner that is not contrary to any tenet of Islam.

US of A: First amendment "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances".

And to think that Commonwealth apologists get upset when it is called a dictators' club......